CLK430 reliability
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CLK430 reliability
Im looking for a college car (small campus, no dorms near by to worry about) The choices pretty much are (99)CLK430 and an (00)S4. Maybe a supra tt. But how reliable are these clks? would I be happier with one over those other two cars? what goes wrong with them?
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For me the choice is not obvious. The aura that surrounds MB is that of a 60 yr old, unlike that of BMW, which i currently have (m3). Things are wickedly expensive for MB (bodykits, supercharger). I do like the looks though, but I think work needs to be done to make it more sporty. But again im in college and $$ will be sparce. Audi worries me because as soon as I chip it, things will start to blow. So I'm sitting with a merc that I would want to put rims on right away and have it the slowest of the three. A supra that isnt as new but power comes cheap and easy. An audi that I would have to leave stock performance wise. And a new base model 350Z that has no miles but I would want to mod with some rims or such. This is all in the range of about $27k for the car. But I need to know how reliable these MB V8 engines are to help with my decision. What parts are common failures on these cars? Where can I find some car faqs for this model. Why is the red one so damn hard to find (i love red)
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From: So Cal
W213 '17 E43 ///AMG - W211, W208 no more
Originally posted by 3ztt
.........The choices pretty much are (99)CLK430 ............This is all in the range of about $27k for the car.....
.........The choices pretty much are (99)CLK430 ............This is all in the range of about $27k for the car.....
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Just do a search on autotrader for them below $30k. Also, i test drove a 2000 today. Feels great, real comfortable. The thing is, when I punched it, there was a lag time, and it also took a while for upshifts. Is there a tranny chip available?
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From: WOT somewhere in the Bay Area
1951 Caterpiller D6
The lag could be normal. The computer "learns" your driving style. Say, for example you drive like grandma 99% of the time and Al Unser the other 1%. When Unser gets behind the wheel, the transmission will lag and be slow on the upshifts because it expects grandma. Try disconnecting the battery for at least 30 minutes and then try it again.
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From: West Covina, CA
S60R, ML320, W211/E350
MB is more reliable than the other 2, Audi S4 is a great car, but why get an almost identical car than what you already drive (M3)?
Supra will bring you nightmares as soon as you start modding it... not as bad as an RX-7, but it will still cause trouble, and I don't know any SupraTT owners that don't Drive HARD.... you might want to think about that, same goes with the S4, but better...
MB owners takes care of their cars, so if reliability is a major concern for you, get the MB, I have a 99 with almost 50K on it, and it still runs great.
But as you already know, to make the CLK go fast required lots of $$$, overall the car that will lat you the longest will be the MB.
Supra will bring you nightmares as soon as you start modding it... not as bad as an RX-7, but it will still cause trouble, and I don't know any SupraTT owners that don't Drive HARD.... you might want to think about that, same goes with the S4, but better...
MB owners takes care of their cars, so if reliability is a major concern for you, get the MB, I have a 99 with almost 50K on it, and it still runs great.
But as you already know, to make the CLK go fast required lots of $$$, overall the car that will lat you the longest will be the MB.
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From: WOT somewhere in the Bay Area
1951 Caterpiller D6
I don't know about comon failures but you can check recalls here
http://www.alldata.com/recalls/index.html
Don't be alarmed by the items listed under "Service Bulletins". Many of them are instructions to the technicians on how to use the new tools and other informative items.
We have a '99 CLK320 and an '00 CLK430 (both convertables) in the family and they have been great. Not without some minor problems but awesome cars still. Get an extended warranty for major items if you can.
http://www.alldata.com/recalls/index.html
Don't be alarmed by the items listed under "Service Bulletins". Many of them are instructions to the technicians on how to use the new tools and other informative items.
We have a '99 CLK320 and an '00 CLK430 (both convertables) in the family and they have been great. Not without some minor problems but awesome cars still. Get an extended warranty for major items if you can.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Cleveland Ohio
2000 Clk 430
Mb, Audi, BMW (long)
First you are asking the Mercedes board..what do you think the response will be?
I'll be honest. The CLK is the best looking car out there. The engine and transmission are first class!
The rest of the car is a big piece of crap!!
Everything that can break has!
The list is long and I think most on this list experenced the same things.
Memory seats don't work right
Gas guage goes bad (4 times)
Bent rims
seat heater problems
radio antenae problems
rain sensor problems
window up problems (constant)
alarm problem (steal my car it doesn't work)
front grill problems
wind noise
remote key problems
dash light problems
thin windshields that crack easily
paper thin paint that chips easy
crappy drink holders
rear seat latch problems
long brake pedal
and the list goes on......
All of my Japanese cars have been mostly trouble free. I put 30,000 track miles on my Acura NSX shifting at 8500rpm's and nothing ever broke, nothing! My 4 Lexus's all had about 75,000 miles on them when I got rid of them with NO problems, not even brake pads changes. This is my first and last Benz! Now maybe I've made another bad choice but i just bought a Jaguar XJR and if there is problems, it goes! For $54,000 the Benz should be MUCH better. Sorry if I'm pissing you diehard Benz guys off but that's the facts and I think most people on this list have had the same problems.
Nomex suit on- flame away.
Howard
I'll be honest. The CLK is the best looking car out there. The engine and transmission are first class!
The rest of the car is a big piece of crap!!
Everything that can break has!
The list is long and I think most on this list experenced the same things.
Memory seats don't work right
Gas guage goes bad (4 times)
Bent rims
seat heater problems
radio antenae problems
rain sensor problems
window up problems (constant)
alarm problem (steal my car it doesn't work)
front grill problems
wind noise
remote key problems
dash light problems
thin windshields that crack easily
paper thin paint that chips easy
crappy drink holders
rear seat latch problems
long brake pedal
and the list goes on......
All of my Japanese cars have been mostly trouble free. I put 30,000 track miles on my Acura NSX shifting at 8500rpm's and nothing ever broke, nothing! My 4 Lexus's all had about 75,000 miles on them when I got rid of them with NO problems, not even brake pads changes. This is my first and last Benz! Now maybe I've made another bad choice but i just bought a Jaguar XJR and if there is problems, it goes! For $54,000 the Benz should be MUCH better. Sorry if I'm pissing you diehard Benz guys off but that's the facts and I think most people on this list have had the same problems.
Nomex suit on- flame away.
Howard
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From: So Cal
W213 '17 E43 ///AMG - W211, W208 no more
Originally posted by 3ztt
thanks for being so candid about problems, this was part of what i was looking for in the beginning. Anyone else wanna chime in?
thanks for being so candid about problems, this was part of what i was looking for in the beginning. Anyone else wanna chime in?
as for me, the only problem(s) i've actually experienced is....
- passenger power seat failure(caused by spilling cup of coffee), but covered under warranty
-squeaky sunroof (regreased... noise gone)
-window regulator making the window 'bounce' back down thinking it hit something, but thats not really a problem
-speed sensitive stereo kind of drrove me crazy (can be disabled)... but i just changed to aftermarket head unit for better sound
so, basically, no real 'problems'... the CLK is a solid car... but of course, there will always be a few out there that just happen to be built slightly less than perfect... luck of the draw i guess
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From: The President must win the Peace
That list is about accurate give or take 4-6 things but in the grand scheme of things , when i look in my driveway and see how beautiful the car is all shined up(magma red). all of that stuff just doesnt seem so bad.
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From: The President must win the Peace
Oh and one more thing. This guy is talking about 99 clk 430's not 2002. There is a huge difference in quality between 99 and 2002. 99 is the first year they made clk430's and of course any smart car buyer should expect there to be problems which will be worked out in future years. a 2002 clk 430 can not be accurately compared to a 99. ALot better, sound dampening materials were used as well as different seat cushions to prevent squeaking and just alot of other misc problems that get fixed each year a car is in production.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Iowa
'03 G500, '11 S550 4Matic, '12 SL63 AMG, '13 ML350, '16 AMG GTS Ed. 1
Yes, I'll chime in. I have a 99 CLK430 with 69,000 miles and have several of the problems mentioned.
-Cracked windshield, but this cracked on a very cold 0F night from a rock coming off a dump truck. I would think any windshield would have cracked.
-Very squeaky interior. This one really bothers me. A car of this value range should not make this much noise.
-The paint does seem a little thin around the front head light area but no trouble aound the rest of the car. The front is also going to get the most debris.
-Clearcoat coming off one rim.
-Rain sensing wiper troubles...still working on this one.
So I agree the 99 does have some inherent problems, all minor in my opinion, but troubles all the same for an expensive car.
But as mentioned, when I see that car in my garage, driveway, office it just makes me grin like no other car can. With that said, I am considering and looking into an M5 just as you are the CLK. I still think I will keep the CLK and add the M5, not exchange.
Hope this helps, I'd buy another in a heart beat. And yes, that's coming from a board member!
Take care!
-Cracked windshield, but this cracked on a very cold 0F night from a rock coming off a dump truck. I would think any windshield would have cracked.
-Very squeaky interior. This one really bothers me. A car of this value range should not make this much noise.
-The paint does seem a little thin around the front head light area but no trouble aound the rest of the car. The front is also going to get the most debris.
-Clearcoat coming off one rim.
-Rain sensing wiper troubles...still working on this one.
So I agree the 99 does have some inherent problems, all minor in my opinion, but troubles all the same for an expensive car.
But as mentioned, when I see that car in my garage, driveway, office it just makes me grin like no other car can. With that said, I am considering and looking into an M5 just as you are the CLK. I still think I will keep the CLK and add the M5, not exchange.
Hope this helps, I'd buy another in a heart beat. And yes, that's coming from a board member!
Take care!
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From: Genoa, NV
2014 GLK250 BlueTec & 2009 ML320 BlueTec
Before getting my 2000 CLK430 I bought a Silver 1999 CLK430 with 30,000 miles, paid for it and drove it home. The squeaky seats drove me crazy, the car wouldn't start 4 out of 5 times, it had no xenons, no command, no tiptronic, no mirror turn lights. I drove it back within an hour and got my money back.
Within 2 weeks I had my current car with all the K's.
Within 2 weeks I had my current car with all the K's.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 516
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From: Iowa
'03 G500, '11 S550 4Matic, '12 SL63 AMG, '13 ML350, '16 AMG GTS Ed. 1
theine, that's great! I'm going to try ridding myself of the sqeaky seats before trading it off. The starting trouble had a TSB released (I believe) for grease on the "starter gear". Mine did it at first, lubed it and no troubles since.
It is a very fun car to drive! I get my Carlsson suspension put on Tuesday! More grins!
It is a very fun car to drive! I get my Carlsson suspension put on Tuesday! More grins!
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From: So Cal
W213 '17 E43 ///AMG - W211, W208 no more
Originally posted by J Lucas
Oh and one more thing. This guy is talking about 99 clk 430's not 2002. There is a huge difference in quality between 99 and 2002. 99 is the first year they made clk430's and of course any smart car buyer should expect there to be problems which will be worked out in future years. a 2002 clk 430 can not be accurately compared to a 99. ALot better, sound dampening materials were used as well as different seat cushions to prevent squeaking and just alot of other misc problems that get fixed each year a car is in production.
Oh and one more thing. This guy is talking about 99 clk 430's not 2002. There is a huge difference in quality between 99 and 2002. 99 is the first year they made clk430's and of course any smart car buyer should expect there to be problems which will be worked out in future years. a 2002 clk 430 can not be accurately compared to a 99. ALot better, sound dampening materials were used as well as different seat cushions to prevent squeaking and just alot of other misc problems that get fixed each year a car is in production.
430
